For most people, indoor navigation, especially in large or unfamiliar buildings, can be difficult. A large number of people also report having some form of low-vision defined by difficulty reading print material in a typical newspaper with corrective lenses—this makes indoor navigation for these people even more difficult. Common causes of low-vision include (but are not limited to) macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. For example, someone who has age-related macular degeneration may lose vision in the central three degrees of their visual field with the remaining portion of their visual field remaining intact. Not surprisingly, many people with age-related macular degeneration must also visit hospitals or other large buildings serving the public, so indoor navigation is particularly important for these service providers.
The American's With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires buildings that serve the public to be accessible to people with disabilities, including blind and low-sight individuals. While many contemporary buildings have been fitted with Braille signs that identify room numbers and other significant landmarks, the utility of these signs is marginal given that they are difficult to localize and many low-vision or blind individuals either do not use Braille or cannot read Braille.
As a result, there is a need for a system, apparatus, and method of improving navigation for all people, but in particular low-vision and blind users in unfamiliar buildings using a navigation aid that guides and orients a user within an unfamiliar indoor environment and provides instructions to a desired location.